More than 50 premier children’s book illustrators and authors from around the country and here in the Pioneer Valley will gather at R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton on Nov. 11 for a reception to kick off the 23rd annual Children’s Illustration Exhibit. The exhibit, which will run through Jan. 15, will feature new and favorite illustrations from popular children’s book illustrators.

“It’s our largest show of the year,” said Richard Michelson, owner of R. Michelson Galleries. “Basically, it’s a ‘Who’s Who’ in the children’s book field.”

Norton Juster, author of the classic, “The Phantom Tollbooth,” will be at the reception to give out the Norton Juster Award for Contribution to Children’s Literacy. The award this year will go to Anita Silvey, children’s book editor, publisher and author.

“It’s a day where we celebrate the art of book illustration as a gallery,” he said. “R. Michelson Galleries is the first gallery in the country to feature children’s book illustration on equal par with that of fine art, and we’ve done much to bring the art of book illustration into the mainstream.”

Michelson said children’s book illustration has gained much deserved respect in recent years.

“We’ve been showing children’s book illustrations for 35 years,” he said. “Since we’ve started, many of the country’s best known artists are now doing picture books.”

Michelson said when he started, there were almost no museums interested in showing children’s book illustration, but now he gets several invitations each year from major museums to curate shows on the subject.

“Certainly, the Pioneer Valley has in many ways become the center of children’s book illustration in the country,” he said. “We have the highest concentration of book illustrators and writers.”

Michelson said he is committed to giving children’s book illustration the attention it deserves.

“I think that visual literacy is very, very important, and oftentimes, the art in children’s books is often the first art that people connect to,” he said.

Work from illustrator and author Barbara McClintock will be on display, including illustrations from her new books, “Leave Your Sleep,” with musician and author Natalie Merchant, and “Twelve Kinds of Ice,” with author Ellen Bryan Obed. “Leave Your Sleep” is a collection of late 19th century and early 20th century poems that Merchant put to music for her young daughter.

“It’s really been a wonderful experience bringing illustrations to those poems and the music,” McClintock said. “It’s a wonderful thing for children. It gives them multiple directions to approach language and approach just the context of the written word.”

McClintock said she’s proud to be a part of this exhibition.

“Obviously, this is a gallery that cares deeply about a variety of all art forms, and it holds illustration in as high regard as the fine arts,” she said. “It’s a warm, inviting, lively space, and I’m just thrilled to be part of the team here.”

The reception takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Nov. 11, and the public is invited. The gallery is open Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. It is located at 132 Main St., Northampton. For more information, visit www.rmichelson.com.